


The Selkie

by iamladyloki



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, F/M, Gen, Selkies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-14
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-12 19:43:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3353042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamladyloki/pseuds/iamladyloki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The stories say that selkies are a magical folk that shed their pelts to become humans. Unfortunately, some humans take advantage of them and steal their pelts, keeping them from returning to the sea. When ten-year-old Emma discovers that she is a selkie, she feels that she must return to the sea. However, first she must take her coat back from one Cruella De Vil, with the help of Killian Jones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Selkie

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a Valentine's gift for my CS Secret Valentine, once-upon-a-captain-swan! Part 2 will be up soon.

The stories say that selkies are a magical folk that shed their pelts to become humans. They are pure-hearted creatures that are exploited by the wickedness of man; if a human gets ahold of a pelt, the selkie has no choice but to remain on land. They will always dream of returning to the sea, and if they do? Heavens help the person who took advantage of them.

ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ

“C’mon, we’ve got to go!” the boy shouted, grabbing ahold of the girl’s hand and bolting down the back alley behind the barbershop and the bakery. Their feet pounded on the cobblestone, and they had to be careful not to let their foot catch and trip. They could hear shouting behind them, but it was beginning to fade into the distance. They didn’t stop running until they reached their hideout on the beach, and didn’t let go of each other’s hands until they were settled in the old shipwreck’s bunk area.

They both panted for breath, but grinned at each other. “That was close,” Emma giggled. She pulled out the large cinnamon bun she had snatched from her ragged coat, which had seen her through a few winters. She tore a piece of the bun off and handed it to Killian. In turn, he removed the loaf of bread from his coat, ripping it in half and giving her the slightly bigger portion. “Thanks,” she said gratefully.

“You’re welcome,” Killian said, and took a greedy bite from his cinnamon bun. The bread they had stolen for more than themselves – Killian lived with his older brother in a sad excuse of a flat, while Emma lived with a dozen other children at an orphanage. Neither homes had enough food to fill the bellies of their occupants. 

However, the cinnamon bun was just for them.

Emma turned her gaze to look out the porthole. The waves were crashing rather hard on the beach, and she wondered if a storm was brewing out at sea. A flash of movement in the waves caught her attention, and she leaned forward to get a better look. A head poked out of the water – a seal! She blinked, completely fascinated by it. It was looking right at her, she was sure of it. The roaring of the waves seemed to be drawing her in, creating tunnel vision, which kept her attention on the seal and the sea and the storm—

“Emma!”

Emma’s attention snapped back to Killian, who was giving her an odd look. “Huh?” Emma asked, blinking in confusion.

Killian was still looking at her funny when he said, “I was saying, I have a birthday present for you. I know I’m a couple of weeks early, but I’ve been saving up for so long that I couldn’t wait to give it to you.” He presented a cloth-wrapped object, and Emma was too stunned to even protest. 

She gently took it from his hands, pulling the cloth away to reveal a beautiful shell. She’d never seen anything like it, certainly not on the familiar beaches of Ireland. “Wow,” she managed, still examining it.

“Look, see the hole at the end right here?” Killian asked, showing her the circular opening at the end of the shell, opposite to where the creature would have lived. She nodded. He explained, “It’s a whistle. Try it!”

Emma didn’t see how the shell could possibly be a whistle, but she decided to try. She placed the larger, natural opening of the shell to her lips, blowing as hard as she could. A high-pitched, faint whistle emitted, but nothing extraordinary. Emma didn’t care, though – it was the nicest gift anyone had ever given her. “Thank you, Killian!” she said, hugging him tightly.

“Happy tenth birthday, Emma,” Killian giggled, returning the hug.

They spent another hour in their secret hideout, reluctant to return to their less-than-ideal homes. Emma knew that Killian had a good relationship with his older brother, but they lived in a ramshackle apartment above an old fishery. Her orphanage wasn’t much better; there were too many children in too small a space.

They walked together back to town, a few blocks away from the bakery, pausing in front of Cruella’s Taxidermy. That place gave Emma the creeps, but she still felt strangely drawn to it. She wanted to go in, but she was also too frightened by what she would see.

“Bye, Killian. Thank you for the present,” she said again, and gave him another hug. They parted, heading down different streets, Emma still peeking over her shoulder to watch until Killian disappeared from view completely.

ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ

“Why are we going in here again?” Killian asked Emma. They were standing in front of the taxidermy store. In truth, Emma wasn’t sure why she wanted to go in. All she knew is that something deep within her was drawing her in, urging her to step into the store until she found what she was looking for. But what was she looking for?

“I need to find something,” was the only explanation Emma gave. After a deep breath, Emma pulled open the door and stepped inside.

The air was damp, warm, and smelled musty. The lighting was dim, but bright enough to show off the displays within. Heads were mounted on walls, full-bodied animals lined the walls, and glass cases displaying bones, horns, and other pieces of animals were in the center of the room.

Killian leaned over to her ear and whispered, “This place gives me the creeps.” Emma nodded in agreement. She considered making a joke that him being twelve should have made him braver, but she kept it to herself. Instead she walked further into the store, settling her hand into the dense fur of a giant, dead brown bear.

“What are you doing here?” A scornful voice said from somewhere, causing Killian and Emma to jump a few inches off the ground. Emma instinctively moved closer to Killian.

“We’re just l-looking,” Killian managed to say, looking quickly around for the source of the voice.

A gaunt, pale woman with bright red lips and white-and-black hair emerged from the darkness of the back of the shop. She sneered at them, pulling the fur coat she was wearing further up her shoulders. “A bit young to be able to afford anything in my shop,” she said. “What are you looking for?” Her heels clicked on the hardwood floors as she walked closer to them. In the light, Cruella’s eyes looked wild.

Emma felt herself trembling, but knew she couldn’t leave just yet. She said, “I’m not sure. I just wanted to look around.” 

“Well look quickly and don’t touch. I don’t want measly little street rats ruining anything in my shop,” Cruella said, stalking over to the counter towards the front of the shop. Emma watched her go with trepidation.

Emma froze.

There it is.

In a frame directly above the front desk was a beautiful grey-blonde pelt. From this distance, Emma wasn’t positive what animal it was, but she began to have a suspicion as she made her way to the front of the shop.

“What is that?” Emma asked, pointing at the framed pelt.

“It is my prized possession, something I would only part with for an abnormally large sum of money,” was all Cruella explained. Emma didn’t mind, she already realized what it was. It was a seal pelt. 

She felt Killian place a hand gently on her elbow, as if to let her know that he was still there. Cruella didn’t scare her, not anymore – she couldn’t explain why. Something about seeing the pelt emboldened her, giving her the boost of confidence and courage that she’d needed.

“Where did you get it?” Emma asked.

“Why does that matter to you, little girl?” Cruella asked, giving her a look that reeked of loathing. “I got it none other from Mr. Gold, of course. I got it from him in a particularly lucrative deal.”

Mr. Gold. He was the richest, creepiest man in town. He lived in a mansion overlooking the town, and owned half of the town’s land to boot. He spent most of his time in his pawnshop or knocking on people’s doors to receive monthly rent. She’d met him a few times when he stopped by the orphanage. He always seemed to notice and greet her when he stopped by. Everyone in town always wondered if he had magic; there was something about him that wasn’t completely human.

Like me, Emma thought. It was as though everything suddenly clicked.

“Is that all? Now go away. Get out of my shop,” Cruella said, waving them away with repulsion. 

Emma took one more longing look at the pelt before leaving. The moment they were out the door and around the corner, Emma turned to Killian and said, “I need that pelt.”

Killian blinked at her. “What? Why? It’s just a seal pelt. Why would you want a seal pelt? Isn’t that mean?”

Emma shook her head, tugging at her hair. He had to understand. She had to make him understand. “No, no, no. You don’t understand. That’s my pelt!”

Killian blinked at her, completely lost in confusion. “What? How is that your pelt? Did you hunt a seal or something?”

How could she explain to him without him thinking she was crazy? She couldn’t bear to lose him, but she couldn’t bear to lose her pelt again, either. She supposed the only thing she could do was be honest. If he thought she was crazy and never wanted to see him again, at least she wouldn’t have been lying to him. They both hated liars.

Emma swallowed nervously, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Please, Killian, you have to hear me out. Please believe me. I...I...” She felt like a fish out of water; no - a seal out of water.

“Believe what, Emma? Of course I will believe you,” Killian said, gripping her arms tightly. He was trying to focus her. She met his eyes, and realized that he would believe her. He would.

“I’m a selkie.”

ᶘ ᵒᴥᵒᶅ

“Hurry! Run! She’s going to notice any minute now!” Killian said, and they ran faster down the alleyway. Emma gripped the pelt tightly, keeping it hidden under her ragged coat. This was much like their semi-frequent food thievery, although this time the goods they stole was much more valuable.

But it’s mine, Emma reassured herself. She was stealing something back that had been stolen from her.

Somehow, they made it to the beach without being caught. They came to a stop at the edge of the waves, trying to catch their breaths. They were near their secret hideout, but didn’t move to go to it. Killian looked at her, confusion on his face. “What now?” he asked her.

“Now I go home,” Emma said confidently. She removed her coat and tossed it onto the sand. She moved the pelt to wrap around her shoulders. She was ready.

“Emma, wait. I...I’m scared,” Killian said timidly, gripping her wrist. 

Emma closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. The briny scent of the sea and the loud crashing of the waves soothed her. She turned to Killian and gave him a gentle, reassuring smile. “I’m not.” She draped the coat further on her shoulders and lifted the hood up over her head. She gave Killian one last look, drinking in the blue of his eyes and the inkiness of his hair. She would miss him while she was gone. “Goodbye, Killian.”

“Wait! Will I ever see you again?” Killian asked desperately.

Emma responded with a wide smile and then disappeared into the waves.

She was gone.


End file.
